Given his high-flying portfolio, it wasn't surprising that Union Civil Aviation Minister C.M. Ibrahim called a press conference at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. Like most ministers, Ibrahim, who was putting up in the same hotel, arrived 40 minutes late.Prefacing his sermon with a clever "this is my (read: as minister) first press conference in Mumbai", he went on to announce the launch of the JD campaign in the city the next day. Thereafter, he praised Gowdaji and I.K. Gujral, lambasted the BJP and the duplicity of the Congress and pointed out how the JD "becomes stronger after every split". During the hour-long interaction, he answered about 11 questions, nine of which dealt with elections, one with Air India and one about the ATC strike. Invitations to the press meet were faxed by the JD'S Mumbai office, and besides Ibrahim, local JD men Naseem Siddiqui and Kapil Patil were also present. There were no officials from either the ministry or the airlines. The tab for the rooms and the banquet hall will be picked up by the ministry though. Is the Election Commission listening?.preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Published By: AtMigration Published On: Jan 12, 1998--- ENDS ---
